Reverse: A trophy consisting of a hexagonal shield, war club, arrows, round shield, two shields at base, and topped by a helmet.

Legend: S(enatus)P(opulus)Q(ue)R(omanus) OPTIMO PRINCIPI (the Senate and the Roman People, for the best Princeps) clockwise from seven o’clock.

Label

Trajan (r. 98–117) places a military emphasis on the coin, using a radiate crown on the obverse and a trophy on the reverse. The iconography depends on its connection to the coinage of Vespasian and Augustus, who both celebrated military victories by conjuring images of the divine and Roman power. Therefore, despite evidence of his humility, Trajan still sought to prove his strength to the Roman populace through coinage and simultaneous construction projects (Trajan’s column, Arch of Beneventum).